Pope Francis urges churches to keep their doors open to all

(ANSA) – Vatican City, October 17 – Churches must find ways to expand their opening hours to allow better access – both physical and spiritual, Pope Francis said Thursday. “When we go on the street and find ourselves in front of a closed church, it feels strange,” the pope said in a homily during Mass at St. Martha’s House, the guesthouse in the Vatican where Francis lives. Church authorities may have reasons for the closures, “but the reality is that the church is closed and the people passing in front cannot enter,” he said.

The closure has a powerful effect, making people feel shut out in every sense, he added.

And worse, said the pope, “the Lord who is inside cannot get out” to reach the faithful.